


maybe i've been california dreaming

by zoke



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Established Relationship, Implied Sexual Content, Jealousy, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-27
Updated: 2020-11-27
Packaged: 2021-03-09 18:40:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,214
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27740902
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zoke/pseuds/zoke
Summary: chanyeol gets jealous. it is not a pretty emotion.
Relationships: Kim Jongdae | Chen/Park Chanyeol
Comments: 6
Kudos: 37





	maybe i've been california dreaming

**Author's Note:**

> this has been in my wip folder for three years and it's kyungsoo's fault. based on [this](https://twitter.com/pikuchen/status/811374514110136322). [title](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SfV4id78mTo).

To Jongdae, being on stage feels like a juxtaposition. It's tiring, wrings out every last ounce of energy left in him, leaving him extremely exhausted at the end of the day when he can't find it in himself to do anything other than have a hot, relaxing shower and collapse to bed. But it's also fun, and giddying and exhilarating and sometimes Jongdae doesn't want any of it to stop, wants _time_ to stop instead so he can stay in this moment forever.

The fans' collective booming scream when Kyungsoo steps forward and unapologetically declares, "Hot pink!" as the ( _not_ ) colour of Jongdae's boxers to the entire stadium is definitely the second of the two.

The loud response he gets from the fans is suggestive and playful. There's the embarrassment, because Kyungsoo can be an absolute little shit when he wants to, but it's also impossibly energising, and Jongdae only laughs, unforced and genuine, as Kyungsoo and the members burst in laughter, even if it's at his own expense.

The thrill stays with him until after the fanmeeting ends, the huge screen in the middle sliding closed before them and shutting off the roar of the crowd behind it. His heart is still thrumming as he hands his mic and earpiece over to the staff, brushing confetti pieces off his hair as he makes a bee line for the large table in the dressing room.

Jongdae smiles when he spots Chanyeol by the pile of snacks on the table -- as expected -- face adorned with an adorable little frown as he shifts through the pile, looking for anything to cool down the overwhelming post-concert sensation. Baekhyun is right beside him, grinning smugly when he notices Jongdae bounding over.

"There's our hot pink boy!" greets Baekhyun, arms thrown in the air and shirt drenched in sweat.

Jongdae grimaces, but Baekhyun just grins, tongue between his teeth. "About that," huffs Jongdae as he walks up to them, "I'm already plotting revenge. I'll maybe let you in the plan, if you're nice."

"Honey, I'm _always_ nice," says Baekhyun, "to you, at least."

"We'll see," Jongdae says, standing close to Chanyeol and subtly pressing to his side, silently appreciating the faint musky scent and the warmth that seeps through. "Ooh, chocolate! I'll have that one, please," he drawls, already reaching for the packet of chocolate bar that Chanyeol is reaping open.

"Here," Chanyeol says, offering _Baekhyun_ the chocolate bar. He doesn't so much as bats Jongdae an eye. Jongdae frowns.

The mischievous grin on Baekhyun's face fades as he regards Chanyeol, then Jongdae, then Chanyeol again. "I'm not too hungry, Jongdae can --"

Chanyeol shoving the chocolate into Baekhyun's open mouth is definitely not what either of them were expecting. "Eat," he says, already turning away from the table. "You need the sugar."

Baekhyun's mouth is still ajar, revoltingly so, when Jongdae turns to him. "That was... weird," says Jongdae, trying to laugh it off and failing terribly.

Baekhyun, though, isn't having any of it. "The hell was that," he hisses around a mouthful of chocolate, suddenly looking pissed. It's not a good look on him. "Here, have this one," he says, handing Jongdae another bar from the pile on the table.

Jongdae accepts it wordlessly, frowning down at it and feeling baffled as fuck. Great, now the excitement is gone and he's left feeling extremely tired _and_ confused.

*

Chanyeol doesn't talk to him the entire way back to the hotel. He's not even sitting beside Jongdae, openly avoiding him by brushing past Yixing to squeeze between Sehun and Yixing at the back. Now Jongdae is left without a shoulder to drool on, instead putting his earphones on and pressing his face against the window as he mopes to Rihanna's California King Bed.

*

The good thing about being back in the hotel room, other than a relaxing hot bath and the comforts of sleep, is that Chanyeol can't actually escape anywhere else. Or, at least, that's what Jongdae thinks, because what ends up happening instead is Chanyeol using his long, endless legs to speedwalk past everyone to the room he shares with Jongdae. He's already in the bathroom when Jongdae finally gets in the room, and leaves their room right after -- hair wet and with a fresh set of pajamas on -- to god knows where, before Jongdae can say anything at all.

The mirror is fogged and the scent of Chanyeol's shampoo that he brings from home lingers heavily in the air when Jongdae enters the bathroom. He's starting to feel less excited about having a hot bath because then he'll have nothing to do in the tub aside from thinking of Chanyeol and what might have provoked the salty treatment. It sucks, he thinks, as he steps under the shower and pulls the curtain closed.

It also fucking sucks that he has to be an absolute dumbass about it, only realising what he's doing when he's already squirted a handful of Chanyeol's shampoo on his palm. He lathers it all over his hair, roughly working the gelled-up strands with his fingers because whatever, right? It's tea tree-scented and Chanyeol's pillow always smells like it so what the hell, Jongdae's going to smell like Chanyeol and Chanyeol's pillow if he so feels like it.

But Chanyeol is... maybe... _mad_ at him? For some reason he's entirely unaware of. They were fine just this morning; Jongdae had given Chanyeol's morning wood an excellent favour and they'd held hands the entire van ride to the stadium.

Maybe it _is_ Jongdae's fault, something he did involuntarily somewhere inbetween and never apologised for, like stepping on Chanyeol's shoe or smacking him in the gut during one of the more intensive dance numbers.

Or, maybe, it's Chanyeol's fault in the first place. Jongdae doesn't fucking know.

He's not planning to sleep just yet, but he brushes his teeth, so that he can use it as an excuse if Baekhyun decides to rope him into playing LoL and ordering ridiculous amounts of room service. It's eleven by the time Jongdae climbs to bed. There's no hint of Baekhyun, not even in the form of fifty emoji-only messages in Jongdae's phone. Chanyeol still hasn't returned. Jongdae's starting to wonder if he's going to at all, or if he's so mad at Jongdae he'd rather crash at someone else's room.

Jongdae pokes around the hotel room to kill time. He dumps the fancy hotel bath salts in his luggage and makes tea with more sugar than is healthy. He's flicking through the channels on the TV, sprawled on the comforter in his pajamas, when the lock beeps and the door clicks open.

Jongdae doesn't even bother hiding the fact that he's not asleep, pushing himself on his elbows and watching silently as Chanyeol walks past Jongdae's bed to his own at the other end of the room by the large floor-to-ceiling windows. The city lights are faint flickers behind the sheer white curtain.

"Where were you?" He hadn't meant for it to sound accusatory, but it's out now, so he sits and waits as Chanyeol plugs his phone to charge and climbs to bed, legs slipping under the comforter as he tries to avoid eye contact and fails.

"I went to Baekhyun's but he told me to fuck off and apologise to you so I went to Junmyeon's instead and he also kicked me out and" -- a short moment of pause as he breathes -- "I'm sorry."

It's not the Chanyeol that's mischievous yet cautious around Kyungsoo, or the Jongdae that pretends he doesn't notice Sehun's wary glances whenever Jongdae gets a little grumpy. And it's entirely okay, because it's them. Jongdae doesn't need Chanyeol to stoop to whatever metaphorical level Jongdae's physical height suggests he's at. Rather it's Chanyeol avoiding and not avoiding eye contact as he forces an apology out of himself, tone a bit stilted but no less genuine. Jongdae still has no idea what Chanyeol is sorry for, but he guesses, this is okay for now. Chanyeol did apologise, after all. Jongdae can give him half a star sticker for effort.

"Was it something I did?" prompts Jongdae, putting his phone away so he can thumb and twist at the comforter.

Chanyeol licks his lips. He looks guilty. "No," he says.

Okay... "Was it something you did?"

Chanyeol sinks into his bed. "Yeah." He's avoiding eye contact again, and Jongdae _hates_ when he does that because Chanyeol is the kind of person whose honesty comes from his eyes. "He peeked down your pants and I hated it."

"Who --" _Oh_ , it finally dawns on Jongdae, what this is all about. "Kyungsoo?" Jongdae can't believe this. He runs a hand through his hair, almost dry now that the air conditioner is set so low. "Chanyeol, we've all walked around the dorm in nothing but boxers at least once," Jongdae says, as Chanyeol's brows furrow and his lower lip juts out in the telltale of a pout. Jongdae sighs. "I've seen everyone in boxers. Hell, I've seen everyone's dicks. And it doesn't fucking matter because _you're_ my boyfriend, not Kyungsoo. Why would I ever --"

"Yeah, well. I'm annoying and get jealous over the dumbest things," Chanyeol huffs, fiddling with the comforter draped over his legs. "I'm sorry." Then, a little softer, "It was stupid of me. I'm sorry."

That shuts Jongdae up. He hadn't meant to corner Chanyeol like this, but Chanyeol had been irrational, too. It's only fair. It reminds Jongdae of the night he told Baekhyun about the whole Chanyeol's-my-boyfriend-now thing. Baekhyun hadn't been too supportive about it, asking Jongdae if he was out of his mind, and before Jongdae could answer, he'd listed a thousand reasons as to why Chanyeol was the worst candidate ever for a boyfriend. Chanyeol was too many emotions and not enough coordination. He was temperamental, childish, and irrational to a fault. He had big ears and big eyes and very weird eyebrows.

"Fuck you, he's handsome," Jongdae had countered.

"Or you just have terrible taste," Baekhyun had countered back.

"Why are you dictating my love life?"

"Because I'm your best friend," Baekhyun had stated easily, like it was obvious. Maybe it was.

"Chanyeol's your best friend, too."

"Well, duh? I'm just saying he'd make a terrible boyfriend. Doesn't change the fact that he's my bestest bro."

"I thought _I_ was your bestest bro." -- but Jongdae digresses.

Now, he bites into his bottom lip and ponders, curling his toes into the pristine white comforter and watching as Chanyeol pouts at the TV, still playing a series of muted Japanese commercials.

"It's okay," Jongdae says. Chanyeol chances a side glance at Jongdae. "It's okay if you get jealous sometimes because it shows that you care, I guess," he adds, releasing the comforter from his fingers and toes. Less agitated now that he knows what made Chanyeol upset.

Chanyeol turns, finally meeting Jongdae in the eye for the first time in hours. "Okay," he says. "Thanks."

Neither moves for a while, watching each other as they let the words sink in and the tension dissipate, nothing but the gentle whirring of the air conditioner in the background. And then Jongdae is crawling out of bed, padding across the room and closing the distance as he climbs into Chanyeol's bed and Chanyeol lifts his comforter for him, sighing and readily scooping Jongdae into his arms as Jongdae piles himself onto Chanyeol's chest and feels at home all over again.

Chanyeol adjusts the comforter around Jongdae, tightening his arms to pull Jongdae closer. "You used my shampoo," he comments, nose buried in Jongdae's hair.

"You were gone. I missed you," Jongdae murmurs into the crook of Chanyeol's neck. Being held in Chanyeol's arms like this after so long feels exceptionally nice.

Chanyeol rubs big hands along the span of Jongdae's back and then past the hem of his shirt, slipping under the fabric to glide his palms up Jongdae's skin. "I was gone an hour tops."

Jongdae pulls back a little, leaving Chanyeol's hot, wandering hands to rest on his sides. "You stormed off."

"I know. I'm --"

"If you apologise one more time I'll knee you in the balls."

Chanyeol grins, cheeks dimpling. "Fine. I won't do it again."

Jongdae grins, kisses Chanyeol on his big, big ear that Jongdae adores so much. "Good."

They stay awake for quite some time after that, wrapped in each other's arms and staring at the TV as Jongdae runs his fingers through Chanyeol's hair and Chanyeol rubs his hand up and down Jongdae's arm. People always tell Jongdae he gives the best cuddles, but Jongdae thinks Chanyeol does it better. Still better, even when he's got one arm stuck underneath Jongdae, probably on its way to crampland.

*

("Were you really gonna knee me in the balls?"

Jongdae doesn't answer.

"Jongdae?"

Jongdae still doesn't answer.

"Oh my god, you _really_ were gonna knee my fucking balls!"

"Chanyeol!" growls Jongdae, glaring at him. "It _doesn't_ help if you talk about me kneeing your balls when I'm currently balls deep in you."

Chanyeol grins, cheeks colouring as he hikes a lanky leg over Jongdae's back. "Okay, okay, I won't."

Jongdae narrows his eyes, but lets the topic go. "Good."

"Okay, but real talk, you _weren't_ actually gonna do it, were you?")


End file.
